In an interesting turn of events American manufacturer General Motors has pulled Chevrolet from Europe, citing a difficult economic situation.

Chevrolet’s Corvette to stay in Europe

This is fascinating because just a few years ago it was rumoured that Opel would be the brand which would receive the axe. However the past few months have been fantastic for Wir Leben Autos. Sadly it’s Chevrolet which will be gradually be phased out from 2016 onwards. Chevrolet’s flagship brands like the Corvette will still remain for sale. You can say goodbye to the Spark, Trax and Captiva if you live in Europe.

General Motors implications for South Africans

“Europe is a key region for GM that will benefit from a stronger Opel and Vauxhall and further emphasis on Cadillac,” said GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson in a statement. “For Chevrolet, it will allow us to focus our investments where the opportunity for growth is greatest,” he added.

You can read that last part as relevant to South Africa, a country which has been on the receiving end of some strong marketing and launches of Chevrolet models. There’s no need to worry if you’re a Chevrolet owner as General Motors has no intentions of pulling any of its three brands (Chevrolet, Isuzu, Opel) out of South Africa.

2014 should be a bumper year for General Motors if the Johannesburg Motor Show is anything to go by. The company showed off a fleet of vehicles which ranged from the funk Opel Adam, to the performance-orientated Chevrolet Sonic RS.